A stent is a generally tubular device that is used to support a bodily lumen.
A stent is typically delivered to a desired bodily location via a catheter. In the case of a mechanically expandable stent such as a balloon expandable stent, the stent is disposed about the balloon and crimped to the balloon to prevent undesired movement of the stent relative to the balloon.
A number of techniques for crimping a stent to a balloon are used. One such technique that is commonly used in the radiological suite involves hand crimping the stent to the balloon. A stent is placed over an uninflated balloon and then squeezed with the fingers until the stent is in intimate contact with the uninflated balloon. The technique is highly operator dependent and can affect stent profile and stent placement with respect to the balloon and radiopaque markers. It can also affect the dilatation length of the stent and lead to pinching of the balloon.
Other techniques for crimping stents involve the use of mechanical devices for crimping stents. Mechanical stent crimpers have been disclosed in a number of patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,108,886, 6,092,273, 6,082,990, 6,074,381, 6,063,102 and 5,992,000. Mechanical stent crimpers have also been disclosed in a number of copending, commonly assigned patent applications including U.S. application Ser. Nos. 09/401,467, 09/401,213, 09/404,986 and 09/401,218.
Typically, mechanical stent crimping devices are either used to crimp the stent to the catheter prior to shipping the stent or in the radiological suite. In the latter case, the radiologist selects a bare stent with the desired properties and then mechanically crimps the stent to the desired balloon catheter.
There remains a need for novel stent crimping devices that are capable of uniformly crimping a stent to a catheter and that may be employed at the point of use of the stent. There is also a need for stent crimping devices that may double as a shipping container for protecting the stent during shipping.
All US patents and applications and all other published documents mentioned anywhere in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The invention in various of its embodiment is summarized below. Additional details of the invention and/or additional embodiments of the invention may be found in the Detailed Description of the Invention below.
The abstract provided herewith is intended to comply with 37 CFR 1.72 and is not intended be used in determining the scope of the claimed invention.